BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
The San Francisco Cycle Club will be the first physical location for the upscale bicycle clothing maker Rapha of London.
Rapha originally launched the Cycle Club in the summer of 2010 as temporary shops, opening locations in London and New York City.
Open for three months only, the New York and London stores spawned Cycle Clubs in Mallorca, Tokyo, and San Francisco. The Mobile Cycle Club also travelled throughout Europe.
The Cycle Club model is a mix of retail shop, café and gallery. Cycle Clubs feature the complete range of Rapha clothing, bespoke products unique to the Club, live screenings of major races, photography exhibitions, cultural events, and organise weekly group rides.
The San Francisco Cycle Club was meant to close at the end of the month but instead it will become the first long-term retail location for the London-based company.
Slate Olson, General Manager for Rapha North America, said:
“I think that Bay Area cyclists have a claim to some of the best roads and best year-round riding in the US. We are excited to have the chance to become an active part of a culture and community that shares our same passions for quality-riding, food, coffee, fashion and design.
"Rapha has had a good presence in the Bay Area through partners like StudioVelo in Mill Valley and Palo Alto Bikes down the Peninsula, but the chance for us to continue to grow and define the Rapha brand ourselves will be really powerful.”
The Rapha Cycle Club is located at 2198 Filbert Street, at Filmore, in San Francisco’s Marina District. The Club will be open seven days a week at 7:00am, earlier if there is live racing on.
